Glossary

INVITATION & WEDDING

Welcome to our glossary of invitation terms! I know that planning an event and designing the perfect invitation can be overwhelming, especially with all of the specialized terminology out there. That's why I've put together this handy guide to help you navigate the world of invitations like a pro.

Here are some of the key terms you'll encounter when it comes to invitations:

Backer - A piece of paper that your invitation is displayed on top of—it often matches the color scheme of your
wedding invitation. Available in embossed woodgrains or special finishes, like mirror or glitter.

Calligraphy - Handwritten with ink and a quill or steel nib pen. Commonly used for envelope addressing. Each artist has their own style/s they use.

Cocktail Napkin - Beverage napkins, roughly 5" square

Cottony - Paper stocks with cotton material. Has a softer, lofty texture. Some are handmade with irregular edges.

Deckle Edge - Handmade paper known for its uneven, feathery, or torn-looking edges. When a machine made paper is torn by hand to simulate handmade paper.

Details Card - Part of the invitation with details on the venue, attire, website, and etc.

Die Cut - Paper or card cut into shapes with sharp steel knives (dies)

Eggshell - A finish of paper that is not smooth. Has a subtle texture that is pleasant to touch.

Elegant - Pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. In stationery, this often refers to symetrical design and traditional colors palettes.

Envelope Liner - A decorative piece of paper used to line the inside of envelopes.

Escort Cards - Lead guests to a table. Once guests get to their table, they're free to choose their own seats if there are no place cards.

Etiquette - Polite rules and guidelines to follow for proper social interactions. We refer to Emily Post's principles of etiquette and Crane's guide to wedding stationery. Both of these refer to a Western culture.

Flat card - A card that is the true size of it's dimension. No fold.

Flat/Digital Printing - Full color. Can be double sided. This is produced by a printer with either wet inks or toner
powders.

Foil Press - A technique in which a plate is used to push colored or metallic foils into the paper to make an
impression. Often Gold, Silver, Copper or Rose Gold.

Folded Note Card - Folded sheet of paper or cardstock; perfect for Thank You cards or Programs.
High Resolution - Abbreviated as "hi-res" means having or capable of producing an image characterised by fine detail. Images produced are sharp and finely detailed rather than blurry and inexact (opposed to low-resolution).

Invitation - THIS is the most important part In reference to the suite. This is the single piece that includes the
event date, time and location.

Laser Cut - A method of cutting out designs with a laser onto cardstock. Can leave barely visible burn marks on the back of the paper.

Letterpress - Similar to Foil Pressing. The design is created on a plate. Each color of the project is on a separate
plate. Ink is applied to the plate. The design is transferred by manually pressing paper against the plate, sinking the images and characters into the paper (rather than raising them like with engraving).

Mailing Address - The address to which a person's invitation should be sent.

Matte - Paper with a non-reflective or glossy finish.

Menus - A list of available food options. For an event menus are helpful for guests with food sensitvities to know what is being served. Also is another way to incorporate your design style into the table setting.

Mounted - Attached together. Often when using a pocket the invitation is mounted.

Off Set Printing - Stamp like instrument that prints the words and images once the ink is premixed. Also called
CMYK printing.

Panel Pocket - A panel includes one pocket on the back where you may put your enclosure cards to produce one tidy, neat package for your guests.

Paper Texture - Textured paper adds a bit of gravitas and elegance to your invitations. There are smooth, embossed, uncoated, and coated.

Paper Weights - Paper and Cardstock is categorized by weight number. 100lb cover is thicker than 80lb cover. The
number refers to the actual weight of 1000 parent sheets.

Pearlized - Specialty paper that has a shimmer pearlescent finish.

Place Cards - A name card that is placed at the guests' specific seat at a table.

Pocket Fold - A tri-fold card with a pocket to hold your enclosure cards.

Postage - The fee of sending the invites. The rate for postage depends on the weight, thickness, and dimensions of
the envelope. Most couples spend about $1.10 on their postage for mailing the envelopes. If you have an reply
envelope inside, that should also be stamped.

Raised Foil - Instead of foil pressing the text into the card the design is raised. Available in Gold, Silver, or
Holographic.

Reply Card - This is what you send to your guest expecting them to mail it back to you with their response.

Reply Suite- The combination of reply card and envelope.

Return Address - The address the post office will return your mail to if it is undeliverable. Often on the envelope flap of the mailing envelope. Your reply envelope can also have the same address where guest responses are sent.

Ribbons - JPK offers Satin, Silk, Velvet and Faux silk ribbons for embellishments for custom clients.

Sans Serif Font - Typefaces that are always the same width. There are no "feet" or terminals on the letters.

Scored- a card is scored to help it fold easily

Script Font - A very classical fluid stroke fonts. Cursive font.

Seating Chart - Display that tells your guests where to be seated during the reception.

Serif Font - Typefaces that have a wider base at the end of the letter. More traditional and easier to read in print.

Stack- The combination of all the enclosure cards that will go along with the invitations. JPK likes to include the
stack on the back of the invitation and not in front of the invitation when removing it from the envelope.

Suede Finish - A specialty printing technique that makes the surface of the card super soft. Adds some thickness to
the cards as well.

Textured - Cardstock has an uneven surface. Works well with thermography. Available in different patterns and
colors.

Thermography - Ink is applied to the cardstock then heated to allow the design to be raised.

Vellum Wrap - Translucent paper that wraps around your invitation suite. If you are not shopping with a wedding
stationer, vellum will refer to a finish of paper and not guaranteed to be translucent.

Velvet Paper- Paper that has a flocked velvet appearance. Also can mimic the finish of suede.

Wax Seal - Made by applying melted wax to cardstock and then pressing with a brass die. Available as a peel and
stick seal or can be applied by hand to secure ribbons or twine.

Welcome Sign - The sign that greets your guests at the ceremony and/or the reception.

Whimsical - Playful and unpredictable